Connecting Stripe for client payments
Connect your own Stripe account and clients can pay deposits and invoices by card. Every payment goes straight into your Stripe account and on to your bank. Surfacely takes no fee and never holds your money. It's a one-time setup that pays off on every invoice afterwards.
Setup steps
- Open Settings → Payments.
- Tap Connect Stripe. You'll be redirected to Stripe's onboarding.
- Fill in your business details, bank account, and ID verification. This is Stripe's flow — same as any Stripe integration.
- Return to Surfacely. Your connection status flips to Connected.
That's it. Every new invoice automatically gets a Pay button in the client portal.
Fees
You pay Stripe's standard card fee for your country, the same as any other payment you take through Stripe: a percentage plus a small fixed fee per payment, taken by Stripe before the money reaches your bank. Surfacely adds nothing on top. You'll see each fee against its payment in your Stripe dashboard.
You can wear the fee yourself or pass it on as a card surcharge when you send the quote. The surcharge percentage is your call.
Payouts
Stripe pays out to your bank account on your Stripe payout schedule, which you can change in your Stripe dashboard. Your first payout takes a bit longer while Stripe verifies your account.
Refunds and disputes
Because the payment is in your Stripe account, you refund it from your Stripe dashboard, and any card dispute comes to you there. Surfacely picks up a refund automatically and updates what the client still owes.
What clients see
On the invoice portal page, a prominent Pay button. Tapping it opens Stripe's hosted checkout — card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or wallet options. When they pay, Surfacely records the payment automatically. No manual reconciliation.
Why it matters: invoices with a one-tap pay button get paid dramatically faster than invoices that require a bank transfer. For most painters, reducing days-to-payment is worth more than the Stripe fee. Do the math on a single week's outstanding balance — Stripe usually wins.
Tip: if you'd rather not wear the fee, set a small surcharge that matches Stripe's fee for your country. Clients who object to the surcharge can still pay by bank transfer — you keep both options.